1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a Cassette structure with card connector, and more particularly to a cassette structure comprising a lid and an upper metallic board detachably mounted onto a chassis of a case, encompassing a printed circuit board, allowing easy disassembly of the lid and the upper metallic board from the top of the case for easy maintenance and replacement of parts of the printed circuit board. Therefore this invention provides a scheme of easy assembly of parts, prompt maintenance and reuse of assembly parts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the rapid advancement in computer and information technologies, nowadays desktop and notebook computers are very popular. The users can link up with the internet to retrieve and transmit information by using computers. The information technology network provides great service and convenience to the users and it has become an essential resource for individuals at home and as well as for companies. In order to link up with the network, a variety of electrical connectors has been disclosed for use in different computers and the telephone line, for example, a desk computer requires an electrical connector for the cable connection, and a notebook computer requires a network card connector. The network card connector is typically inserted into the card connector cassette which comprises a housing encompassing a printed circuit board of the notebook computer. The card connector cassette is suitable for connecting PCMICA, CF card, or the memory chip of PDA and digital camera.
Conventional cassette structure as illustrated in FIGS. 8 through 10, comprises a plurality of projection elements disposed two sides of a metallic plate A. Each projection element comprises as first folded side A1, a second folded side A2, and a slot A3 in the second folded side A2, for securing the metallic plate A between an upper case B and bottom case C and encompassing a printed circuit board (PCB) D. A protruded element B1 is disposed on the connecting surface below the upper case B, and a cavity C1 is disposed on the top of the bottom case C corresponding to the protruded element B1. The inner side of the cavity C1 facing the protruded element B1 forms a primary angle C11 and in contact with an edge B11 of protruded element B1 of upper case B. The upper case B and bottom case C are welded together as a one-piece.
The above card-connector cassette structure allows the metallic plate a secure joint with the PCB, and securing it from parting from the metallic plate. However, it would be difficult to remove the PCB from the above cassette structure when the parts of the PCB need a replacement. In other words, in order to access to parts of the PCB or and remove the PCB, the card-connector cassette has to be destroyed. As a result, the maintenance cost of card-connector cassette is high. Therefore, the need for a cost effective card connector cassette is highly desirable.
Accordingly, in the view of the foregoing, the present inventor makes a detailed study of related art to evaluate and consider, and uses years of accumulated experience in this field, and through several experiments, to create a cassette structure with a card connector of the present invention. The present invention provides a cost effective cassette structure with a card connector, which allows easy maintenance, repair, or replacement of PCB, without requiring the destruction of the case main body. The cassette structure of present invention also allows the reuse of, for example, the case, the lid and the upper metallic board.
In order to achieve the above objects and other objects of the present invention, a cassette structure with a card connector is provided. The cassette structure with card connector comprises, a chassis, comprising a plurality of slots formed thereon, a lid, comprising a plurality of fitting elements, and an upper metallic board, comprising a plurality of fitting elements, wherein the lid and the upper metallic board are detachably mounted onto the chassis. The upper metallic board is placed over the case, wherein the fitting elements of the upper metallic board are aligned onto the slots of the case, and then fitting elements are engaged into the slots to secure the upper metallic board on top of chassis. Thus the upper metallic board is detachably mounted onto the case, and the upper metallic board can be detached from the case by disengaging fitting elements of the upper metallic board from the slots of the chassis. The lid is detachable slid onto the case by slideably engaging slots of the fitting elements with grooves which are located on the corresponding two external side surface of the chassis. Therefore the internal parts of the cassette of the present invention can be easily accessed in need of replacements or maintenance without destroying the cassette.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the slot of the lid can be detachably slid into grooves of a chassis, and a front part of the lid can be engageably stacked-on distal part of the upper metallic plate, by sliding from a rear part of the upper metallic board, and tightly securing the upper metallic board with the case.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of L-shaped slots are disposed on an inner surface of two sides of the case. The L-shaped slot at an .upper portion serves as an input slot and a bottom portion thereof serves as a securing slot. The fitting elements of the upper metallic board is engaged into the input slots and then slid into the securing slots, to secure the upper metallic plate with the case.